It may look like your run-of-the-Toledo-mill Jeep Gladiator midsize pickup, but Magna’s EtelligentTerrain demonstrator vehicle is something entirely different. Engineers have taken the truck’s standard 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine and eight-speed automatic transmission, and tossed them out like an old sandwich wrapper. In their place is a completely new four-wheel-drive powertrain, one with some incredible capabilities.
To learn all about the EtelligentTerrain, and to see how well this special Jeep performs in frigid, icy weather, Magna invited TopSpeed to a winter testing facility in Michigan’s remote Upper Peninsula. I got enough time behind the wheel of this heavily modified vehicle to learn just how much fun live axles and instant torque can be on a snow-covered track.
What’s Under The Hood?
So, what motivates the EtelligentTerrain if its factory powertrain has been given the old heave-ho? Well, instead of a fuel tank, gasoline engine, and transmission, this demonstrator vehicle is a pure EV. More specifically, this heavily modified Gladiator showcases Magna’s expertise in drivetrain engineering and electrification.
Two Motors, Two Live Axles
“We took out all of the ICE (internal-combustion engine) content from this, and replaced it with two Magna eBeam axles,” said Jeff Botticello, senior systems engineer at Magna in an interview with TopSpeed. The purpose of this vehicle, he explained, is to demonstrate what an all-electric off-roader can do.
An ideal solution for electrifying pickups trucks and commercial vehicles, the eBeam is essentially a live axle with an integrated power inverter and electric motor. These assemblies provide ample power and torque, and should be fairly straightforward to install in nearly any existing vehicle that’s already equipped with a live axle.
Of course, the Jeep Gladiator – and the Wrangler SUV this off-road-ready truck is based on – feature live axles at both ends. Accordingly, Magna has engineered a conventional eBeam for the rear, and a steerable unit for the front. Either way, both axle assemblies feature electrically locking differentials for greatly enhanced traction in severe conditions, and the front unit can also be disconnected, for improved efficiency.
Impressive Output And Performance
When it comes to output, the rear eBeam is more muscular than its steerable counterpart, cranking out a maximum of 319 horsepower, and 419 pound-feet of immediate torque. This is provided by a permanent magnet electric motor that spins at up to 15,900 rpm. Overall, this assembly has a gross axle weight rating (GAWR) of 5,000 pounds, more than enough for a vehicle of this size.
The EtelligentTerrain’s front eBeam assembly has a GAWR of 3,500 pounds, and delivers 252 horsepower and 287 pound-feet of twist. This axle is also fitted with a permanent magnet motor that should “redline” at 16,000 rpm. All told, this Magna-modified Jeep should have a maximum of 571 horsepower and 706 pound-feet of torque, enough to propel this husky pickup truck from a standstill to 60 miles per hour in as little as 4.5 seconds. Terminal velocity is safety-limited at 90 mph.
The EtelligentTerrain’s acceleration is seriously impressive for a vehicle of this size and weight. Overall, this all-electric pickup tips the scales at around 6,360 pounds, with each eBeam contributing significantly to that overall figure, at more than 430 pounds apiece.
But Wait, There’s More!
Those electrified axle assemblies are certainly heavy, and they do add more unsprung mass to the vehicle than conventional units would, but the component that really pads the EtelligentTerrain’s curb weight is the energy-storage system.
“It’s about 83 kilowatt-hours for the battery,” said Botticello. “It’s a prototype pack,” he added, “It’s just kind of as much as we could fit in there.” This lithium-ion battery, which has roughly the same capacity as the pack found in the Chevrolet Equinox EV, features a high-power NCA chemistry, though there are no range estimates for how far this demonstrator truck could drive on a full charge. With its considerable weight, boxy design, elevated ride height, and aggressive Falken Wild Peak A/T3W tires wrapped around 17-inch wheels, it’s unlikely this vehicle is all that efficient.
More Fun Than It Has Any Right To Be
The Jeep Gladiator pickup, and the Wrangler SUV it’s based on, are both designed for extreme off-roading. These vehicles feature rugged, body-on-frame construction, they have ample ground clearance, and these Jeeps are fitted with advanced four-wheel-drive systems for hardcore mud-slinging, river-fording, mountain-climbing capability. And even though it has a totally different powertrain, the EtelligentTerrain does everything a standard Gladiator can and more.
Cruising around the test facility revealed this Magna-modified machine feels pretty much like the truck it’s based on. The ride is firm and a bit jiggly – as with other vehicles fitted with live axles, it feels like there’s a lot of mass moving around under your feet – but the truck is still far more refined than it has any right to be given how old-fashioned the chassis design is.
Unlike a stock Gladiator, which has decent performance, the EtelligentTerrain absolutely flies. With all-wheel drive engaged, this pickup rockets ahead when you stand on the accelerator pedal, shoving you back into the seat like only the instant torque of an electric vehicle can. Drop the hammer, and those Falken tires briefly scratch for traction on the snowy test track before launching you forward with anger.
For a bit of fun, this demonstrator vehicle does allow you to get sideways, even with all-wheel drive engaged. Stability control keeps things from getting out of hand, though you can disable this to really have a good time. “We’ve noticed that … in gas vehicles when you use traction control it’s kind of pretty violent,” said Botticello. “The engine’s like, really severely limiting torque, the brakes are doing a lot of stuff. With the EV it’s really a lot simpler.” And it’s smoother, too. When stability control or traction control intervenes in the EtelligentTerrain, it’s essentially imperceptible. You can’t tell that it’s doing anything other than helping the vehicle remain stable or preventing the tires from spinning.
Rear-Wheel Drive Is The Best
But by far the most fun to be had driving the EtelligentTerrain is with both the front axle and stability control turned off. Operating this as a rear-wheel-drive vehicle with no safety aids is an absolute blast because you can drift and slide this body-on-frame truck around like a race car.
Of course, with just the rear wheels powered, the EtelligentTerrain struggles a little to get traction on snow when you give it the spurs taking off from a stop, but once you’re moving, you can make this vehicle do some pretty amazing things.
Getting sideways, sliding left and right is as easy to do as it is riotously fun. Drifting in a circle around a cone can be done, too, but this is quite challenging, as it’s extremely easy to spin out if you’re not absolutely perfect with the accelerator input. With the feats they can perform, professional drifters truly have some incredible talents.
This demonstrator vehicle shows the power and performance an all-electric off-roader can deliver. The eBeam axles motivating the EtelligentTerrain are intended for heavy-duty trucks or vehicles like the Gladiator. A turn-key solution, these assemblies are intended to drop right into vehicles fitted with live axles. Aside from the physical hardware, “The vehicle controls and all the software is also being done by Magna,” explained Botticello. “So, everything from the accelerator pedal to deciding how much torque goes front [to] rear, and the motor controls are all Magna,” he added.
When asked if the eBeam has entered production or if any automakers are interested in implementing this technology, Botticello said, “I can’t comment,” though the technology works so well, OEMs should be kicking down Magna’s door to gain access to the eBeam.
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